by Anna Webb
Jason.
Like the first fat raindrops of a summer thunderstorm falling on a tin roof, her heat beat out an unsteady rhythm in her chest. A million butterflies seemed to have taken up residence in her stomach. It felt as if she hadn’t seen him for days or weeks—almost like she was seeing him for the very first time.
In the past, his beauty always seemed to be marred by arrogance. He wielded it like a weapon—something to be used against people, to manipulate and exploit. But now, his granite features were softened by a genuine smile, a fond smile. A smile meant only for her. It made him more real, more human, and all the more handsome.
Without thinking, she’d closed the distance to him, and up close, she noticed for the first time how flecks of silver floated over the surface of his indigo eyes, like stars blinking in a midnight sky.
Jason took hold of her hand and leaned in close to her. “Allyra Warden, please do me the honor of this first dance.”
His words tickled her ear, sending pleasurable shivers down her spine. Her heart threatened to stop altogether, and words caught in her throat. “I don’t know how to dance,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.
Almost breaking the spell that hung over them like a gossamer-thin veil, the usual arrogant smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Then it’s a good thing I know how.”
He took hold of both her hands, placing her left on his shoulder before winding his around her waist and pulling her closer. She’d always been tall, but he was still a whole head taller, and she had to lean back a little to look into his eyes.
“Just follow my lead,” he whispered.
Somewhere, hidden in the depths of the room, a band started playing. Music floated in the air, wistful notes intertwined with more joyful ones, blending together into something utterly poignant. Something that made the room and the crowd fade, replaced by great open spaces where sky and land never seemed to meet, a haunting vastness that her mind could barely comprehend.
His touch was warm on her bare back, electrifying her skin. They started to move, and she was suddenly dancing with grace and elegance that were not her own. The steps seemed effortless, seamlessly matching the lilting magic of the music, guided by Jason’s body molded to her own. A small voice in the back of her mind warned that the spell would be broken as soon as the music stopped.
The truth was, she never wanted it to end. Here, in this moment, with Jason’s arms wrapped around her, the world made sense, and however briefly, she could forget the anxiety her mind was consumed with and the uncertainty of what was yet to come.
When the music came to its inevitable end, she didn’t have time to say anything, but she wasn’t sure that it was within her ability to put what she felt into words. Jason seemed just as reluctant to be parted from her, but he was pulled away into the arms of an older woman whose eyes were filled with predatory desire.
Allyra in turn was twisted away from Jason. She started to protest but relaxed when she found herself face to face with Jamie. He was smiling, but there was something forced about it. His words seemed genuine enough when he said, “Sam would be so proud of you. We’re all so proud of you.”
It seemed that the party was made for dancing as the music lifted into something less complicated and more joyful. The dance floor was filled with couples, all moving easily in tune with the music. Jamie led her across it, but the magic she’d experienced with Jason was lost, and her movements felt stilted and forced. More than once, she stepped on Jamie’s feet and had to whisper out a hurried apology.
There was an endless stream of people all desperate to have a dance with the newest Five Finals champions, and after Jamie, there was Rob and then Pete. They were followed by High Master Zhuang, and even Master Ackerman insisted on a dance though he was perhaps even more uncoordinated than she was.
Next, she was tugged and pushed into place by a whole line of men she’d competed against either in the Elemental Trials or The Five Finals. Every one of them had tried to best her or even kill her in the past, but now, they were desperate to forge some kind of bond with her and the power her win would afford her. It felt fake and forced and served only to add to her discomfort. Their names and faces all started to merge into one.
Allyra started to protest her exhaustion after her tenth partner and more strongly after the fifteenth. But her words fell on deaf ears. After the twentieth, she decided that enough was enough.
“I’m sorry,” she said, the words tumbling from her lips even before she had fully registered who her new partner was. “I really must insist on sitting this one out.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jason whispered against her ear.
Allyra’s eyes widened as Jason maneuvered them with practiced ease to the edge of the dance floor. Then with a quick glance over his shoulder, her led her out a side door.
Without letting go of her hand, Jason grabbed a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes. A delighted laugh escaped from her lips as he broke into a run, pulling her along behind him.
He grinned and said, “I think we deserve to escape the frivolities after all we’ve been through.”
He led her through the kitchens, filled with waiters and staff, every one of them ignoring the two well-dressed partygoers with the practiced deference of people used to serving the privileged and wealthy.
A gentle rain was falling over the gardens as they emerged from the kitchens, but Jason’s Gift turned raindrops into a warm mist of steam, keeping them dry. Allyra let out a delighted gasp and turned in a slow circle, her arms outstretched and her face turned to the sky, allowing the steam to drift against her skin. Jason laughed and took her hand again, and together, they ran down a pebbled path lined with roses in bloom. But she barely saw them, her attention fully occupied by the adrenaline pounding through her veins and the feel of Jason’s hand around her own.
They paused in front of a door, which opened with a quick and barely perceptible flare of Jason’s Gift. She took a moment to glance around the room as Jason dropped the champagne and glasses carelessly onto the couch. The rooms were put together much like the ones of Master Marais, the History Master. But Jason’s rooms were neat and tidy where Master Marais’s had been cluttered and messy. The room they were standing in was a mix of a study and sitting room with a desk and bookshelves at the back and couches in the front. The main room then gave way to a smaller bedroom and bathroom.
At the sight of the bed, Allyra’s heart quickened even further, until one heartbeat could no longer be separated from another. Coming together in one furious and continuous stream. She was no innocent virgin, and she knew where this was headed. She wanted it. She wanted him to help her forget, to lift the weight of responsibility from her shoulders if only for a moment.
The logical voice that so often guided her thoughts was screaming to be heard, screaming for her to slow down. To think. But she pushed it away. All she wanted tonight was to live. To fall into the world of danger and excitement that Jason represented. To do what she wanted rather than what she was supposed to.
Jason turned back to her. Their eyes met, and for a moment, he seemed to hesitate, showing uncharacteristic restraint. But her heart harbored no such hesitation, and she took the first step toward him. Her step forward broke whatever spell that was holding him in place, and he closed the gap between them, his arms snaking around her waist. His lips closed over hers, and desire exploded deep within her. He tasted like champagne—sharp and fruity—his teeth grazing lightly over her lips.
Every sense sharpened even as the world grew fuzzy. Her breath caught and her heart tumbled. She was lost…
Without parting, he backed them effortlessly into the bedroom. The back of her knees hit the bed, and she fell backward onto the soft mattress, pulling him down with her. A gasp of pleasure escaped her as his lips found her pulse hammering down the line of her throat. His arms were still wrapped around her, and the tips of his fingers trailed a line of Gifted sparks down her spine, making her arch up against him.
>
Stop!
That annoying little voice of reason screamed at her. This was lust and desire. A brilliant white flame burning too hot and bright—something that would burn itself out in a moment. Something that would consume and destroy, leaving nothing but ash and regret behind. She wasn’t doing this for the right reasons, she was using him, wanting him to help her forget. His kisses to burn away her fears, and the brush of his fingers to sweep away her anxiety.
I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care, she repeated over and over in her head, trying to drown out reason and logic. But maybe she did. She did care—he meant too much to her to toy with him in this way. He was more than just a momentary distraction.
“This is a mistake,” she whispered, the words tumbling from her lips even as her body pulled Jason closer.
He stilled abruptly over her, his breathing jagged and uneven. With a soft groan, he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths as he fought for control over his breathing. Eventually, he untangled himself from her and tried to get to his feet.
“Don’t go,” she whispered, still breathless, suddenly terrified that she had ruined in a few seconds everything they’d built over the last six months. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
Jason pulled her up until she was sitting up on the edge of the bed. He leaned down and pressed another kiss to her lips, but this one was soft and gentle, nothing like the feverish desire of before. He sat down next to her.
“But you’re right,” he said. “This is a mistake.”
He rushed to explain as she stiffened suddenly at his words, pained anguish washing over her racing heart.
“Not that I don’t want to,” he said, taking in a ragged breath and turning to look at her. “Because, Allyra, I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted anything more.”
He fell into momentary silence as if struggling to find the right words. “It’s no secret that I’ve been with a lot of women,” he said.
“The words every woman dreams of hearing,” Allyra said with a small laugh, attempting to lighten the mood.
He refused to be drawn, his voice low and serious as he continued. “I’m sorry, this isn’t easy for me to explain. But I need you to understand. Those women, the ones from before—they were momentary distractions. I had a reputation and they knew it. They understood what I was offering. And I knew they would be gone by morning.
“But everything is different with you. Everything matters. For the first time, I don’t want it to be a brief flame in the night. I want this moment to stretch into infinity. I can’t bear the thought of being parted from you.”
He traced his fingers lightly along her cheek, tracing a line of warmth down the curve of her throat. He leaned in and pressed another kiss to her lips. “I don’t want there to be the slightest trace of doubt in your heart when we do this. Allyra, when we do this, I want to do it right.”
Jason looked at her, with stars in his eyes, as if she was something precious, as if she could save him.
She didn’t even know if she could save herself.
Allyra opened her mouth to say something, but words escaped her. The truth was, she didn’t know what to say. He seemed so sure, while she’d never been less sure of herself.
“It’s okay,” Jason said quietly, “Don’t say anything. I can wait. For you, I would wait until time has no meaning, until the Source ceases to exist and the stars come tumbling to earth.”
“That sounds very dire,” she said.
“So uneducated,” he said fondly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “It’s an old Gifted saying, mostly forgotten now. But it’s quite appropriate really, they’re the words shared by Finals winners, within the Between, when they part from each other. It’s a promise that they make to each other, that one will never leave the other behind.”
Jason got to his feet and disappeared back into the main room before returning with the previously procured champagne bottle and glasses. He popped it open and poured the golden liquid into the glasses, handing one to her.
“After the last time I drank with you, I made a promise never to drink again,” Allyra said wryly, accepting a glass.
“Promises are meant to be broken,” Jason replied easily. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” Allyra replied and took a small sip from the glass. The champagne was still cool, the bubbles bursting on her tongue. The temptation was there to linger with Jason, but she pushed it aside. “You’re just full of cheesy sayings tonight, and as much as I would love to hear more, I should go.”
“Stay,” Jason said quickly.
She shot him a questioning look. “What?”
“Do you even know what room they’ve given you for the night?” he asked, and when she shook her head, he gestured to his bed. “I have a perfectly good bed here, which I’m willing to share. And I’m even willing to promise not to ravish you in the night.”
She dithered for a moment, unsure.
He made up her mind for her, taking the champagne glass from her hand and getting to his feet. “I’ve fallen asleep plenty of times on the couch, so I know firsthand that it’s a perfectly comfortable place to spend a night,” he said with a small grin. He walked to the door. “Sleep, Allyra, tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
* * *
Allyra woke up to the smell of pancakes the next morning. She’d slept better than she’d expected.
Today was the day. Everything she’d done, everything she’d fought for, been willing to die for, had led her to this day. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her mind, breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth. Today, she had to be focused, and she had to be strong. There would be no room for mistakes or lapses in concentration.
“Allyra?” Jason asked. “Are you awake?”
He was standing in the doorway, holding a plate piled high with a stack of pancakes. Already dressed, he was wearing a black suit, his short blond hair dark and wet from a recent shower.
“What time is it?” she asked, accepting the offered plate of pancakes and taking a bite, nearly moaning in pleasure at the taste of light pancakes drenched in sweet syrup.
“Nearly nine,” Jason replied.
“What?” Allyra exclaimed, nearly spilling the entire plate of pancakes over the bed. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier? Doesn’t the Council meeting start at nine thirty?”
“It does, but relax. You have time. Eat, shower, and there’s some clothes on the dresser for you.”
She shoveled a few more bites into her mouth. “But I wanted to get up early. I needed to prepare—”
Jason cut her off abruptly. “Allyra, if you’re not ready now, then a couple more hours of preparation won’t change that.”
She stopped her frenzied eating and took a deep breath. “I know. It’s just that there’s so much at stake, and I don’t want to make any mistakes.”
“You won’t. You’re a Five Finals champion, you’ve earned the right to go into the Between. You’re ready.” He paused and sank down on the bed next to her. “I just wish I was going with you. We’re stronger together.”
“I know, but I need you to buy me time. And more importantly, I need you to make sure Marcus stays away.”
Jason nodded reluctantly. “I have to go. Just…” His voice trailed away, and he pulled his eyes from hers. A flash of conflicted pain crossed his face briefly, but when he looked up again, he was wearing a wry smile. “Just be careful.”
He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers in a silent goodbye.
Chapter 40 – Allyra
After a hurried shower and getting dressed in the clothes that Jason had left for her, Allyra met Jamie in the foyer of the Great Hall. She led him to the massive set of double doors and the Sentinels that guarded them. At their demand for her to speak, she whispered her name, and after the now familiar ritual of her blood being tested, the doors slid open silently.
Before she could walk though, Jamie grabbed her arm and pulled her ba
ck. She shot him a questioning glance.
“Are you sure about this, Ally?” he said, his expression conflicted.
She gave him a reassuring smile. “I know you don’t think much of this plan, but I’m not just trusting blindly. And all through The Five Finals, I’ve seen echoes of Alex Cairns, glimpses of the past that helped me understand him. On the day of the Betrayal, Alex led the Elementals into the Between motivated only by grief and a desire to make sure that no one ever lost another loved one to the Revenants again.
“And if there’s anything I understand, it’s grief. I know its terrible hold. I might not know what went wrong, but I do know that Alex wasn’t motivated by a desire for power—of that I’m completely sure.”
“But they all died. Something terrible happened—Matthew Cairns had to kill his own brothers. Surely, history wouldn’t have gotten it so wrong?” Jamie shot back. “If you can see the past, then surely you should know what really happened and not just bits and pieces of it.”
“My Gift for the past isn’t all encompassing. For the most part, I just get brief flashes. The memories I see most clearly are the ones tied to people I know. Because I know Alex, I could see him clearly. But, whatever happened all those years ago happened without Alex’s knowledge, and because he didn’t know it, I haven’t been able to see it.”
Still, Jamie remained unsure, not entirely convinced by her words, but he nodded. “Okay. But, there’s still a fatal flaw to your plan.”
Allyra looked at him questioningly.
“I’m not allowed in there without an escort,” Jamie clarified, pointing into the Council Chambers.
“Well, aren’t you lucky that I’m here to escort you? There are some benefits to being a Five Finals winner,” Allyra said blithely, not bothering to explain that she’d had the run of the Council Chambers for months now.
Jamie didn’t look completely convinced, but he offered his hand to the waiting Sentinels. When the Sentinels faded away, allowing Jamie through, he let out a sigh of relief.